LOS ANGELES – LIV chief executive officer Greg Norman is not the least bit bothered by criticism from PGA Tour golfers Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

As the acrimonious spat between the two tours heats up, the Australian said on Saturday that he pays no attention to anything Woods and McIlroy say.

Last week, Woods said Norman “has to go”, the same sentiment McIlroy offered in November.

“I pay zero attention to McIlroy and Woods, right?“ the 67-year-old told Today’s Golfer. “They have their agenda for whatever reason. They’re saying whatever they want to say. It has no bearing or effect on me. I’m going to be with LIV for a long, long period of time.”

The new tour, backed by the Saudis, has whisked away many PGA golfers due to higher financial payouts.

Meanwhile, golfers loyal to the PGA Tour have been irked by the way Norman-led LIV operates. There is also the matter of both sides filing suits against the other.

Woods said the two tours cannot find peace until Norman is removed from his leadership role.

“I see that there’s an opportunity out there if both organisations put a stay on their litigation,” he said on Tuesday at the Hero World Challenge, where he is the event’s host. “But that’s the problem – they’ve got to put a stay on it. And whether or not they do that or not, there’s no willingness to negotiate if you have a litigation against you.

“So if they both have a stay and then have a break and then they can meet and figure something out, then maybe there is something to be had.

“But I think Greg has to go, first of all, and then obviously litigation against us and then our countersuit against them, those would then have to be at a stay as well. So then we can talk, we can all talk freely.”

Woods’ remarks were similar to those McIlroy made at the DP World Tour Championship.

The world No. 1 noted: “Greg’s made his mark but I think now is the right time to sort of say, look, you’ve got this thing off the ground but no one is going to talk unless there’s an adult in the room that can actually try to mend fences.”

Norman stressed he can be a peacemaker.

“Of course, it can happen under my leadership,” he told Today’s Golfer. “I mean, Tiger might be a messenger, right? Who knows. All I know is we are going to keep doing what we’re doing with LIV, and we are just going to keep moving forward.”

In fact, the two-time Major winner and World Golf Hall of Famer says he is doing a stellar job.

“No matter where I go in the world, nobody – not one person – has said what I’m doing is stupid or wrong,” Norman said. REUTERS